Abstract
In an earlier paper I argued that the Conservatives have
undergone a change in their attitude towards the UK.
Formerly they saw the UK as a union state but they have
increasingly viewed it as a unitary state. The terms - unitary and union state - are drawn
from Stein Rokkan and Derek Urwin's work with state
building.' The change is reflected in a hardening of the
Conservative's opposition to Scottish legislative devolution.
In this article I will argue that the opposite has
happened within the Labour Party, although in moving
towards a union state conception of the UK, there is
much evidence that Labour has not entirely abandoned
a unitary conception. The change in broad outlook is
significant for it underpins a hardening of Labour's
support for devolution. Previously, Labour have advocated
devolution whilst still having a unitary conception
ofthe UK, and encountered many problems. Advocating
devolution in the context ofa union state conception
of the UK solves these problems and opens up
opportunities for the development of a semi-federal
Labour Party and Britain. The article recognizes,
nevertheless, that there are implications for Labour in
adopting a union state interpretation of the UK which
the party has yet to accept.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 607-611 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Regional Studies |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 1996 |
Keywords
- United Kingdom
- Labour Party
- Scotland
- union state
- devolution